Purple Friday kicks off wild Ravens weekend in Harford

A home in the Dixie Meadows community in Forest Hill shows off its owners' Ravens pride, as Harford County gears up for another big Ravens playoff weekend.

A home in the Dixie Meadows community in Forest Hill shows off its owners' Ravens pride, as Harford County gears up for another big Ravens playoff weekend. (MATT BUTTON | AEGIS STAFF, Patuxent Homestead)

BRYNA ZUMER, bzumer@theaegis.com

It's going to be a very purple weekend for bars all over Harford County.

Watering holes around Aberdeen, Bel Air and Havre de Grace are gearing up for plenty of Ravens fans pouring in to celebrate what they hope will be a decisive win against the New England Patriots in Sunday's AFC Championship in Foxboro, Mass.

Although the Ravens game is Sunday, many businesses are "pre-gaming" with Purple Friday specials planned in a number of bars.

In Bel Air, the town's popular bars are preparing for plenty of fans to be packing the downtown area, with drink specials and discounted lunch or dinner items.

Looney's is co-sponsoring a pep rally at Armory Park Friday, along with the Bel Air Downtown Alliance. Last Friday, the rally was held at Looney's because it was raining.

The pub also will have a game-day menu all day on Sunday and a Ravens drink special for a week if the team wins.

Since the last Ravens win against the Broncos, the bar has offered $2 National Bohemian cans and $2 purple shots (bar side only) until this Saturday at 2 a.m.

"We are expecting a great crowd," Looney's general manager Adriane Kleinman said about the weekend's festivities.

Last Saturday night, "people were camping out around noon for the 4:30 game," she said.

The Dark Horse Saloon in Bel Air will feature a heated tent on its deck for Sunday's game.

On Purple Friday, Dark Horse employees will be dressed up and happy hour will be extended until 7 p.m., bar manager Derek Mauldin said.

The bar is offering a $2 Ravens beer for a limited time (Mauldin noted they had half a keg left), a house-made purple Ravens slushie and a game-day menu as well.

He urged everyone to get to Dark Horse early on Sunday because the tent is likely to fill up.

"We are in the AFC championship and we are expecting a big turnout," Mauldin said.

Last week, "on 'purple Saturday,' you couldn't move. It was a sea of purple," he added.